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Caroline (TV series)
Caroline: face behind the throne is a television series on StarTV loosely based on the life and period of Queen Caroline Koch, wife of Leuvis Van Damme. The series premeired in the fall of 2012 and is currently in its second season. Synopsis Season 1 Season one looks at a young Caroline Koch in the years following her marriage to Van Damme, in the dying years of the Brunanter Republic. This season looks at her schemes to place her husband as king and the downfall of the republic. Leuvis Van Damme was elected president of a failing republic, with its survival in mind. But his wife sees beyond that and clearly has her eyes set on power. While her husband is content with being president, Caroline knows the country will fall apart and the blame would be placed on her husband, so she devises a plan to give her husband a permanent position of power. She enlists the help of a number of important men, such as Anthony von Herrenhausen and Spanish ambassador Sanchez y Vega, some under the pretext of saving the country but a few knowing full well of the plan to set up a monarchy. From within her own group of confidants there is a traitor, and soon a majority of members within the Republican Estates are voting down her husband's proposal, making him seem week and ineffective, and a target for being deposed. Van Damme is soon arrested for attempting to betray the country and Caroline knows, that with former leader Johannes Neyt effectively in power now, her weak husband might be tempted to surrender her in order to be spared torture in prison. The scheming Sanchez y Vega, ends up hiring an assassin to get rid of Neyt, the only man capable of uniting opposition against Van Damme. With Neyt having misteriously died, the estates crumbles into various fighting factions and von Herrenahausen, a member, is able to get some support for freeing Van Damme and restoring him, as no new leader is able to be chosen. With a slim majority of the estates agreeing, they are effectively giving up power since Van Damme's return marks the dissolution of the estates and proclamation of the kingdom. Season 2 In the second season (2013-14), the new kingdom faces many trials and danger from outside, and Caroline faces issues from within her own house. Caroline, now queenhas reached the position she so wanted, but her husband now only sees her as an instrument for producing an heir. With only one daughter in their marriage so far and difficulty in conceiving another, Caroline does not often sleep with her husband and begins an affair with von Herrenhausen, the Count of Drenthe. Her husband has several mistresses she know of, but with the assistance of her husband's chamberlain Albert she is able to keep an eye on the situation. It is only after she gets pregnant with his child, which doctors believe to be a boy, that she sees her position in danger. At the same time, her husband's position comes under threat with an insurgency by several republican supporters. With the threat of the fall of the young kingdom and possible Venetian intervention, Caroline persuades her husband to act fast and sends the Count of Drenthe to lead the forces. His troops are victorious, though von Herrenhausen is killed and Caroline's reaction has her husband thinking on if their relationship was more than just a formal court one. With the birth of her son and the heir secured, Van Damme becomes more distanced and now has a rather serious relationship with a young girl, Elisabeth Blois, who unknown to the queen begins to have serious influence over the king. Caroline will have to come up with a plan if she is to remain the only woman in the king's life, and the face behind the crown. Season 3 The third season premiered in the fall of 2014. This takes place in the period of the 1480s. This series will explore attacks by pirate Hamid Reis, several unpopular royal acts including the expulsion of the Jews and potential popular protests against his regime. The queen manages to have von Herrenhausen's daughter, Silvia, installed as Elisabeth's confidant and spy for her. She ends up getting word that Elisabeth is interested in a young guard, and devises a plan to get them together. Following the death of his brother Mohamed, pirate Hamid Reis vows vengeance on Brunant and leads a ship for Middleton. Production and concept The idea for Caroline was brought up in the mid-2000s as a way to bring further viewership to the StarTV channel, which was lacking in high-quality series. Other networks, primarily BBN did historical dramas and were largely successful. Issues with funds delayed the shooting of the series until 2011 and the first season was broadcast from 2012. The series looks at Koch's life and times from before 1475 to 1505, though the producers have taken many liberties and largely compressed many of the events. The order for several events have been changed around or occur later in the historical timeline when compared to real events, such as the birth of Caroline's son and others, for added effect to the series. Two seasons were initially planned and after the success of the first season, a third and fourth have been added and are currently under works. The series was awarded the Barker Award for Best TV series in 2013. Cast and characters Main characters *Queen Caroline Koch (Liesbeth Kerkhoven) *Leuvis Van Damme (Oliver Hewton) *Count of Drenthe/von Herrenahusen (Michael Adamo Barzetti) *Sanchez y Vega (Mateus Rivas) *Elisabeth Blois (Adriana Rand) *Leuvis II/Prince Leuvis (Noel Coleman) Recurring characters *Silvia von Herrenhausen (Ines van Donck) Category:TV shows Category:StarTV